Best Beaches in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has beaches that would be famous anywhere in the world if the water temperature were ten degrees warmer. Instead, they remain comparatively empty — long sweeps of golden sand backed by dunes and cliffs, with the sea a particular shade of cold, clean Atlantic blue-green that you won’t find in the Mediterranean.

The beaches here are not about sunbathing, though you can. They’re about walking, surfing, rock-pooling, and watching weather move across big skies. They’re about arriving at a two-mile strand on a Saturday in July and finding it genuinely uncrowded. And occasionally — on one of those luminous Northern Irish summer evenings when the light lasts until eleven — they’re about sitting on the sand and understanding why people who live here don’t want to leave.

The North Coast

The north coast, stretching from Portrush to Ballycastle, concentrates the most spectacular beaches in Northern Ireland. The Causeway Coastal Route connects them all.

Portstewart Strand

Two miles of golden sand managed by the National Trust. You can drive onto the beach — one of the few in Northern Ireland where this is still allowed — and park on the sand above the tide line. The dunes behind are a nature reserve, covered in wildflowers in summer.

Portstewart Strand is the beach that locals consider the best. The sand is firm and clean, the waves are consistent enough for surfing, and the walk from one end to the other — past the dunes, past the rock pools at the far end — takes about forty minutes at a stroll. The National Trust car park fills early on summer weekends. Arrive before 10 a.m. or accept a walk from town.

Whiterocks Beach

Between Portrush and Dunluce Castle, Whiterocks is the most photogenic beach in Northern Ireland. White limestone cliffs — sculpted by wind and sea into arches, caves, and pinnacles — frame a crescent of sand that faces north into the Atlantic. The water is extraordinarily clear.

At low tide, the beach extends and the rock formations become accessible. The arches are the thing — natural limestone doorways with the sea visible through them. The Wishing Arch, the largest, is a short walk east along the base of the cliffs. Swimming here is excellent, though currents can be strong near the rocks.

Access is from a car park on the cliff top, with a steep path down. The beach is more sheltered than it looks from above.

Benone Strand

Seven miles of unbroken sand — one of the longest beaches in Ireland. Benone sits beneath the dramatic basalt cliffs of Binevenagh in County Londonderry, and the scale of it is genuinely startling. You can walk for an hour and still see sand ahead.

The beach is a designated Blue Flag beach with lifeguards in summer. There are sand dunes, a strand along the Magilligan Peninsula, and views across Lough Foyle to Donegal. The Binevenagh cliffs behind provide a dramatic backdrop that changes character with the light and weather.

Benone is excellent for surfing, kite-surfing, and horse riding. The Benone Tourist Complex at the eastern end has facilities. The western end, towards Magilligan Point, is wilder and emptier.

White Park Bay

The hidden gem of the north coast. A crescent of white sand in a sheltered bay between Ballintoy and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, accessible only on foot — a steep path from the National Trust car park above. The bay is backed by chalk grassland and sand dunes, and the beach itself is rarely crowded.

White Park Bay has a Neolithic settlement at its eastern end and fossils in the chalk cliffs. The swimming is good in the central section, though the beach is unguarded. The approach walk, descending through meadow with the bay opening below you, is one of those Northern Irish moments where the landscape suddenly does something extraordinary.

Ballycastle Beach

A town beach, but a good one. Ballycastle sits at the eastern end of the north coast, looking across to Rathlin Island and the Scottish coast beyond. The beach is a mix of sand and shingle, sheltered by Fair Head to the east.

The appeal is the combination — beach, town, harbour, views. You can swim, eat fish and chips, catch the ferry to Rathlin, and watch the sunset over the Causeway headlands, all without moving far. Ballycastle is a real working town rather than a tourist village, which gives it an authenticity that some of the north coast resorts lack.

The Antrim Coast

South of Ballycastle, the Antrim coast becomes steeper and more dramatic. Beaches here tend to be smaller, tucked into gaps between cliffs.

Cushendun Beach

A small, sheltered beach of sand and pebbles at the mouth of the River Dun. The village of Cushendun — designed by Clough Williams-Ellis, who also created Portmeirion in Wales — is a cluster of whitewashed Cornish-style cottages above the beach. The caves at the southern end of the beach appeared in Game of Thrones.

This is a picturesque rather than spectacular beach, best combined with a walk along the coast path or a visit to the caves. The village itself, with Mary McBride’s pub (reputedly Ireland’s smallest), is worth the stop. See our guide to Northern Ireland’s best pubs for more.

Waterfoot (Glenariff) Beach

At the foot of Glenariff, the largest of the Glens of Antrim, a sandy beach looks across Red Bay to the coast road. The setting is the draw — the glen behind, the sea in front, the red sandstone cliffs reflected in the water on a calm day. Combine with the Glenariff Forest Park waterfall walk for a full day.

County Down

The County Down coast, running south from Belfast along the western shore of the Irish Sea, has a different character — gentler, less dramatic, but with its own quiet beauty.

Tyrella Beach

A mile-long south-facing beach at the entrance to Dundrum Bay, with the Mourne Mountains visible across the water. Like Portstewart, you can drive onto the sand. Tyrella is less well-known than the north coast beaches and correspondingly quieter.

The beach faces south, which makes it one of the warmest swimming spots in Northern Ireland — a relative term, but genuine. The sand is golden and firm. The Mournes behind provide a backdrop that gets more impressive as the afternoon light catches the granite.

Murlough Beach

Part of the Murlough National Nature Reserve, this beach runs along Dundrum Bay with the Mournes directly behind. Access is through the nature reserve — ancient sand dunes covered in heath and grassland — which makes the approach as good as the destination. The beach is long, clean, and usually quiet.

Murlough is an excellent swimming beach. The water is shallow for some distance, which means it warms slightly more than deeper beaches. In summer, seals are sometimes visible offshore. The dune system behind is 6,000 years old and supports rare plants and butterflies.

Crawfordsburn Beach

The most accessible beach from Belfast. Crawfordsburn Country Park, on the southern shore of Belfast Lough between Bangor and Helen’s Bay, has a sand and pebble beach at the end of a woodland walk through a glen. The glen has waterfalls, mature forest, and a viaduct.

The beach is small and sheltered, looking across Belfast Lough to the Antrim hills. It’s not a beach for long walks, but it’s perfect for a few hours — swim, rock-pool, walk the glen, stop at the Old Inn in Crawfordsburn (established 1614) on the way back.

Practical Information

Swimming: Northern Irish sea temperature ranges from about 7°C in winter to 15°C in August. A wetsuit extends the season significantly. Most beaches are unguarded outside summer months — swim with caution, especially on the north coast where Atlantic currents are strong.

Blue Flag beaches: Portstewart Strand, Benone, Cranfield (south Armagh), and several others hold Blue Flag status, indicating good water quality and facilities.

Surfing: The north coast is the centre of Northern Irish surfing. East Strand at Portrush and Portstewart Strand have the most consistent waves. Several surf schools operate from Portrush and Portstewart in summer. Check our complete guide to Northern Ireland for broader trip planning.

Dogs: Allowed on most beaches, though some have seasonal restrictions (May–September) on sections with lifeguard cover. Check local signs.

Facilities: The National Trust beaches (Portstewart Strand, White Park Bay, Murlough) have car parks and basic facilities. More remote beaches may have nothing — bring water and supplies.

Best time to visit: June to August for the warmest water and longest days. September is often excellent — warm enough for the beach, quiet enough to have it to yourself. Winter beach walks — storms, empty sand, dramatic skies — are a different experience entirely, and one that the north coast does better than almost anywhere.